Early Days
by Dark-AmethystUnicorn
Summary: I'm pretty sure this is kiddy safe, this is the result of procrastination and it's cutesy, there are scences with the hollow bastion crowd as kids...and kiddy!Cloud hugging a toy wolf.


A/N: This was originally meant to be a fic about how Leon obtained Griever (I've never played FF8 so if it's explained there I wouldn't know. Besides, this is _KH fiction_ so I go by the fact that the events of FF8 never happened for the KH Leon.) and it turned into…well, _this_. I should probably confess that once again I am procrastinating from completing an assignment. I feel reasonably justified though, the essay is 2000-3000 words long yet I can easily answer the question in a mere fraction of that. Your humble authoress got fed up with trying to lengthen the blasted thing, threw her textbooks at her door and turned to fanfiction. I'm a horrible person I know. Choosing recreational pursuits over my education, that which holds the key to my future and abusing poor innocent books that only tried to help…yep, going to burn in hell here…

And on another note: If you've read my previous KH fanfics you'll know I don't own Kingdom Hearts, if you haven't read my past fics but have read this little excerpt…well now you know I don't own it.

Most of my fics (posted or otherwise) actually have Cloud and Tifa not being from Hollow Bastion. This one fic goes against that strain. Mostly because I wanted to write a fic about Cloud and Leon as kids.

So yea, it has kids in it…and why, oh _why_ are my author notes getting _longer_?

**Early Days**

Long fingers traced the outline of the silver lion's head, straying away briefly to brush long strands of chocolate coloured hair away from the closed eyes before flittering back to the pendant that hung around Leon's neck while he slept. A tender smile danced across Cloud's solemn face as he sat at Leon's bedside, silently watching the sleeping man. Even after all these years, Leon never took it off… Cloud gently fisted the pendant, the tender smile still playing on his lips as he remembered their childhood, the way Leon had been so nervous that first day of school, the birthday parties, the sleepovers…the usual kid stuff.

XXX

Squall was a quiet child. Shy. He was something of a shadow for Aerith, always quietly tagging along. Nodding submissively at anything the angelic little girl said or suggested, allowing himself to be pulled towards the swings or the art table. His grey-blue eyes always seemed imploring and glowing in his delicate, heart-shaped face, his lips occasionally forming a small but sweet smile usually directed at Aerith.

From the first day of school, Cloud was enthralled. From his seat next to Tifa at one of the middle tables, the five-year-old's brilliant blue eyes fixated on the other boy clinging to Aerith's hand while the pair was introduced. Aerith was smiling brightly, her green eyes wide and excited as she waved her free hand jovially at their new classmates, her voice light and sweet as she chirped a cheerful greeting, her pigtails bounced as she nodded her head in agreement to something the teacher had murmured to her before tugging on Squall's hand and pulling him forward, her pink dress swirling lightly from her movements as she whispered something insistently in his ear. Her loud whisper of "dilly dally shilly shally!" was heard by the entire class, soft snickers rose, groups of tiny heads bending together in their amusement.

"H-hello…" Squall's uncertain voice was soft and melodic, his hands were twisting together; he shifted from foot to foot, fidgeting as he looked over at Aerith imploringly. 'Can we sit down now?' Cloud could almost hear the silent question. The girl laughed and pulled him towards the back of the classroom, happily seating them at a table near the window overlooking a flowering tree.

Cloud hadn't quite had the courage to go talk to the small brunet, though he continued to watch him and he often gave their classmates a good sock to the nose whenever he found out about any teasing or bullying they treated Squall to. Tifa would always laugh and push him, telling him just go talk to the other boy.

"Silly, you hit the other boys for him. Should be able to speak to him." Her eyes would crinkle with amusement as she gave him one last shove, always adding, "Silly, silly Cuh-lou-dy!"

In the end it was Tifa who had approached the other pair, gently pulling at Aerith's arm and tugging her towards a corner. Their heads bent close together, eyes darting furtively at the two boys, whispers and giggles floating over to Cloud who shifted uneasily in his seat, eyes carefully averted, wondering if maybe he should go hide out in the boys' toilets until playtime was over. Girls were scary after all, especially Tifa.

Then suddenly Tifa was beside his seat, grabbing his hands and dragging Cloud over to the reading area. Behind them Aerith was tugging a quiet Squall over and the four were quickly seated on four clustered bean bags, Tifa and Aerith positively beaming at their respective best friends. Cloud blinked perplexedly, trying desperately to figure out just what was going on. Squall merely stared complacently at Aerith, a tiny flicker of confusion in his quiet eyes.

Then Tifa shoved Cloud, making him fall off his bean bag in to the middle of their little circle. When he looked up at her reproachfully she had simply smiled sweetly and reached over him to tug at Squall's hand, waiting until he looked at her before speaking.

"Hi Squall! I'm Tifa. That's Cloud. We're gonna be your friends now okay?"

Cloud resumed his confused blinking, shifting his gaze from Tifa to Aerith before finally settling on Squall.

Squall was alternating his gaze between the other three. When his eyes met Cloud's, he paused, looking at him silently before nodding, that rare small smile sweetly curling his lips as his impassive expression softened into something warm and affectionate.

"Okay." He said quietly. Aerith squealed happily and tackled him, causing them to slip to the ground as she hugged him tightly. Tifa jumped on the pair of them a moment later, curling her fingers around Cloud's wrist and pulling him in with her.

And that was that.

XXX

Best friends from the first moment. Cloud thought fondly, gently combed his hand through Leon's hair, twisting the ends slightly. He doubted that he could ever thank Tifa enough for that. The four of them had instantly bonded, Leon and Cloud enjoyed a further special bond, seemingly able to communicate without speaking, reading the subtle shifts in the other's body language like a book; something Tifa and Aerith would often gush over as the foursome spent lazy recesses ensconced in the reading area, just chatting. His tender smile warmed further as he propped his head up on the palm of his free hand, resting it on the bedside table, briefly eyeing the fluorescent green digits proclaiming it to be two in the morning before flicking his gaze back to the peaceful expression on Leon's face, silently tracing his features with eyes in the moonlit room.

He took in the way Leon slept on his side, face half buried in his pillow, his hair spilling out around him in soft waves, long eyelashes resting against his cheeks, his lips parted as his breath puffed quietly over a loosely curled fist resting by his head and half covered by the long sleeve of his dark pyjama shirt. Griever gleamed in the faint streams of moonlight filtering through the window, lying loosely around Leon's neck, the pendant resting between his head and his hand. The other hand rested beneath the pillow, slightly propping them while his legs were stretched out beneath the thick duvet, perhaps crossed at the ankles, Cloud supposed as he soothed a piece of the duvet close to him.

Cloud's eyes softened, sliding to half mast as he leaned forward to brush a stubborn strand of hair away from Leon's face again, carefully tucking it behind the brunet's ear before pulling back again, leaning against the back of the chair as he lifted his gaze to stare out at the expanse of softly twinkling stars, the crescent moon casting a light glow across the rooftops of the sleeping city.

XXX

An eight-year-old Cloud frowned, staring at the toys and games his mother and the saleslady pulled down from the shelves. His cheeks puffed out in indignation and he shook his head rapidly.

"Nuh-uh." He declared huffily, ignoring Tifa as she stood giggling beside him, clutching a long gift-wrapped box tightly. "That's not it either."

Tifa's giggles rose in volume as Mrs Strife sighed, raising half-amused, half-exasperated eyes to exchange a tired look with Tifa's mother, who quirked her lips up into a smile before eyeing the little blonde amusedly.

"Sweetie, I'm sure Squall will like whatever you give him." Mrs Lockhart smiled down at him, a hand reaching out and ruffling the blonde spikes with fondness.

Tifa nodded quickly in agreement with her mother, grinning at Cloud as she waved an arm about fanatically. "Yea Cloud! Squall will like it 'cause it's from you!"

Cloud pouted, eyeing the toy chocobo in his mother's hands distastefully before looking up at the worn out saleslady with an earnest expression. "Do you have anything with lions?"

The woman sighed, casting the small blonde an apologetic look as she shook her head. "Sorry dear, no, but we do have tigers." She added soothingly, a faint smile struggling to stay on her tired face.

Cloud shook his head, looking around thoughtfully until something caught his eye. He blinked, turning around fully before darting forward and plucking a soft silver wolf off of a shelf, scrutinising it carefully before hugging it tightly.

His mother's hesitant voice drew his attention back to the group. "Cloud sweetie?"

Cloud turned around and smiled angelically up at the three women, holding the wolf in front of him as he quietly stated "I want to get Squall this."

At his mother's nod the saleslady took the toy from him and hurried off to the cash register while Mrs. Strife quietly released a relieved sigh, taking Cloud's hand and following the woman.

X

Cloud fidgeted nervously, the other children were playing outside, their presents having already been opened by Squall who gave them each a small smile and a sincere thank you. Tifa and Aerith sat with the small group of girls on the patio, cheerfully drawing or playing with the dolls Squall's older sister had pulled out for them, the adults supervising them with the occasional shout of warning when the boys became a bit too rowdy. That left Cloud and Squall alone in the living, the brunet holding Cloud's birthday present for him in his lap as he carefully pulled the shiny wrapping away.

He tilted his head curiously as he lifted the wolf up to eye level, staring at it quietly before flicking his gaze over to Cloud. Cloud smiled shyly, ducking his head as a small blush warmed his cheeks. Squall smiled at him brightly, hugging the wolf to his chest gently with one arm, wrapping the other around Cloud's waist as he rested his chin on the blonde's shoulder.

"Thank you. I like it." The soft, heartfelt words were quietly whispered into his ear, Squall's cheek resting comfortably against his own as the boy almost melted into the hug.

Cloud grinned, hugging back before prying the stuffed toy away from his friend, setting it down on the coffee table before tugging the other outside to join the game of tag now going on.

XXX

"…you still have it." Cloud murmured quietly, after pulling the sheets just slightly to get a better look at the odd lump to reveal the aged toy wolf nestled against Leon's chest. Cloud closed his eyes with a smirk; his soft chuckle briefly broke the lethargic silence of the room as he gently patting the toy once before resuming his quiet watch.

There was a small yawn and a hushed whisper from behind him as the door creaked further open. "Cloud?"

He turned his head to peer over his shoulder. Tifa stood at the doorway, rubbing at her eyes tiredly, her messy hair falling over her shoulders as she tip toed into the room, the hem of her dressing gown swishing gently along the floor, before coming to stop beside Cloud, staring down at him fondly. "What are you doing up?'

"Couldn't sleep." He murmured quietly, turning his gaze back to Leon.

Tifa smiled a warm, knowing smile, her eyes falling on the familiar toy. "Cloudy." She crooned as quietly as she could. "Should be able to talk to him."

Amusement flickered across his face as he stared back up at her. "I recall hearing that before."

Tifa smirked, lifting a hand to lightly whack the back of his head. "I recall that Aerith and I had to introduce you two…because a certain boy didn't have the guts to."

"Really?"

Tifa sighed, pulling on his spikes fondly. "Silly, silly Cuh-lou-dy." She laughed softly, giving her favourite spike a final tug before shoving him lightly. She carefully made her way across the room, pausing at the door. "You know…he probably knows anyway, you two always did have a strong bond." She paused, placing a hand over her heart solemnly quoting Sora in her low whisper. "'Our hearts are connected'. I think you'll find he feels that same way. And learn to wear a night shirt, you'll catch a cold." Smiling she slipped through the door ignoring the soft 'Tifa!' Cloud whispered after her as he began to rise from his seat.

Cloud frowned as the dull thud of a door closing followed by the click of a lock down the hall indicated that Tifa had returned to her room.

"Our hearts are connected." He murmured slowly, testing the phrase. He frowned thoughtfully, looking over at Leon, sitting back down, the tiny creak of the aged joints of the chair squeaked in his ears as he made himself comfortable again. He resumed tracing Griever again.

XXX

"Come oooooon Cloud!" The four-year-old little ninja wannabe pouted cutely at her older friend, her fingers curled around a bag, swinging it at her side as she bounced on her feet.

The eleven-year-old Tifa smirked in amusement, patting Yuffie's hair as she held up her own shopping bag. "Yea, come on Cloud. Do we have to do this every year?"

Yuffie's eyes widened as she tipped her head back to stare up at Tifa incredulously. "Every year? Cloudy's slow every, every, every, EVERY year?!"

"I'm afraid so Yuffie." Aerith giggled lightly, clutching a paper parcel to her chest, one hand absently brushing the side of her skirt, eyeing Cloud with amusement as he moved from display to display, and treating each to an affronted scowl before moving to the next.

"Cloooouuuud!" Yuffie whined after another five minutes had passed. "You said ice cweam!"

"After we get Squall's presents." The blonde replied automatically, picking up a robotic singing hamster before sneering at it and returning it to the display.

Tifa's face blanked. Beside her Aerith giggled. "I'm surprised he even looked at it." She confided teasingly.

"Cute hamster!" Yuffie cooed, instantly picking up the rejected item and pressing its paw. She sat down on the floor as its arms began to move up and down to the perky song emitting from it.

Tifa looked at Aerith shrugging as she sat down with Yuffie, eyeing the singing toy with a vague interest. Aerith giggled again before quickly catching up to Cloud at the end of the aisle. "Come on Cloud. Yuffie won't behave for much longer without that ice cream we promised." She raised a hand, pointing to the front of the store where a blonde woman stood watching them impatiently. "And your mum's looking fit to scream."

"I found it." He murmured quietly, turning around to face her, lifting his hands up to display his find. "This is what I'm getting Squall."

"Ooooh." She breathed, leaning forward to look more closely at the odd silver cross topped with a lion's head. She lifted a hand, delicately tracing the flowing mane before flashing at Cloud a brilliant smile. "He'll love it."

X

By now it was routine. Open everyone else's presents, thank them, hug Aerith and Tifa, pat Yuffie's head as the younger girl jumped on him and threatened to choke him with her tight hug around his neck, let them all drift off to play outside (His father, living up to a threat from last year's party, had supplied the kids with water balloons, shrieks and laughter were ringing from the yard and the stray balloon burst on the closed windows) or else they congregated in the living room around the television (The girl's mostly, Squall's sister commandeered the living room, wanting to watch some chick flick) then open Cloud's gift.

Squall watched Cloud amused as the blonde fidgeted on the couch beside him, waiting for him to open his present. "Idiot." He scoffed, lightly punching Cloud's shoulder. "I don't know why you get so nervous. I always like your gifts."

Cloud frowned, returning the punch with one of his own, shifting on his spot before leaning against Squall, looking at him with impatient, demanding eyes. "Open it would you?"

Squall hummed his amusement, nudging Cloud in the ribs with his elbow before carefully peeling the gift wrap away as was his habit. He lifted the small black box up quizzically, flashing Cloud a curious look before lifting the lid. His eyes widened, a surprised gasp blew passed his lips as he lowered the box to his lap, eyes immediately locking on Cloud's. "This…this is too much." He whispered quietly. "Y-you…shouldn't have."

Cloud shrugged, grasping the silver chain and lifting it out of the box, he watched the pendant turn in mid air for a moment before reaching forward, undoing the clasp and placing the necklace around Squall's neck, taking time to make sure the clasp was secure.

"Idiot." He returned quietly, straightening the necklace. "It's not too much. 'Course I should have. Happy birthday Squall."

XXX

Cloud pulled his hand back as Leon stirred. Griever jangled quietly, clinking against its chain as the brunet shifted onto his back. Cloud tilted his head, watching quietly as a pale hand rose to rub at a closed eye, a soft yawn stretching Leon's mouth as grey-blue eyes slowly fluttered open.

Leon yawned again, his hand covering his mouth as he sat up. He blinked and looked blearily at the silhouette beside his bed, smiling just faintly when familiar spikes of hair became more discernible in the dark, his eyes slowly adjusting to the faint moonlight filtering into the room.

"Cloud?"

"Didn't mean to wake you." The blonde muttered, looking down at the digital clock. _I'm sorry._

"…what are you doing here?" Leon asked quietly, one of his hands grasping Cloud's wrist, his warmth seeping into Cloud's cold skin. _I don't mind_.

"Couldn't sleep." He shrugged, sighing softly when he felt a tug at his wrist and stood, letting Leon pull him onto the bed. The brunet released his grip, scooting to the other side to make room as Cloud slowly sat down on top of the sheets, crossing his legs.

Leon hummed lazily, stretching out on his side, propping his head up on a palm, his elbow digging into the mattress as he stared up at Cloud, eyes quiet and curious. _What's wrong?_

"It's nothing." He murmured, resting his arms on his knees, his eyes meeting Leon's steadily, a blank look fixing onto his face._ It's really, nothing. Don't bother asking_.

"…right." Leon scoffed disbelief evident on his face. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, settling comfortably in front of Cloud, their knees brushing against each other as he leaned forward. "Cloud…" _I'll get Tifa, she'll make you tell. You know I'll do it._

"Just thinking." _Don't you bloody dare, Squall_.

Leon chuckled, the sound soft and muted as he lifted a hand to cover his mouth, grey-blues glowing softly with amusement. They shared a smile before Leon sobered, shadows falling over his face as his eyes dimmed. "Cloud, come on. Just talk to me?" _I'm worried. Let me_ _help, please_. _And that's Leon_.

Cloud's eyes widened slightly, his jaw loosening a fraction as Leon's eyes suddenly turned imploring. _Hurt_…Cloud smiled sadly, reaching over and grasping Leon's hand, fingers intertwining quickly as he pulled their joint hands to rest over his heart. "One day Leon." He promised solemnly, eyes glowing warmly. "I'll tell you. Just not now okay?" _One day I'll tell you. I love you_.

Leon nodded, lips curling into that rare sweet smile as he laced their free hands together and leant forward. His eyes glowed briefly before disappearing under the sweep of his lashes as he leant forward that tiny last bit, pressing their lips together gently for a brief moment, his tongue softly tracing Cloud's lower lip before he pulled away, shimmying back under his blankets. He rolled onto his side, facing the wall. "Come on, it's late. Get some sleep." _You can sleep here._

Uncertainly, Cloud blinked twice, staring at him silently for a moment before skimming under the covers. He slipped an arm around Leon's waist, settling against his back, the feel of warm clothed skin pressing into his naked torso. He sighed faintly, lifting his head to press a soft kiss to Leon's neck, silently relishing the small shiver it produced before dropping back onto the pillow again. "Night." _Thank you_.

"Night…one day will be soon…right?" Cloud felt himself being thrown back to that first day of school, the low melodic voice hushed, meshing with uncertainty. As Leon turned over, arms slipping around Cloud's waist, tucking his head under the blonde's chin, Cloud understood.

_I love you too_.

XXX the End XXX

Kyaaaaa! Cutesy! **Review**! (Yes, for once I am ordering you to review, now click that damn purple button before I go into review-whore mode!)

I have another one shot on my laptop incidentally, it's not quite finished because I'm stuck on the ending. Be nice and review this one, it'll help inspire me! It will!


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